Universal game engine for a game network and method therefor

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for implementing a game having a deterministic component and a non-deterministic component wherein a player uses the game through at least one player interface unit. Each player interface unit generates a player record indicating player-initiated events. A random number generator provides a series of pseudo-random numbers and a rules library stores indexed rules for one or more games. An interface registry stores mapping records where the mapping records are used to associate the player-initiated events to pre-selected rules in the rules library. A control means is coupled to the player interface to receive the output of the player interface unit, coupled to the interface registry, the rules library, and the random number generator. The control means processes the player record and returns an output record to the player interface unit where the output record is determined by executing the game&#39;s rules with reference to the pseudo-random numbers and predefined combinatorial algorithms for selecting sets of the pseudo-random numbers.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of applicant's U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/959,575 filed Oct. 28, 1997, entitled “UNIVERSAL GAMINGENGINE,” which is a divisional of the applicant's U.S. Pat. No.5,707,286, issued Jan. 13, 1998, entitled “UNIVERSAL GAMING ENGINE”filed Dec. 19, 1994, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/358,242.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, in general, to gaming machines, and, moreparticularly, to an electronic gaming engine supporting multiple gamesand multiple users.

2. Statement of the Problem

Casino gaming has grown rapidly in the United States. Casino gaming isexperiencing similar growth throughout the world. An important segmentof this developing industry is electronic games. An electronicimplementation of a game requires a method for interpreting humanactions as they occur within the constraints of the rules as well as theability to respond with chance events.

Microprocessors allow games that formerly relied on analog devices forgenerating chance events, such as dice, to be simulated digitally.Simulating a die roll with a computer would seem to be a contradictionbecause the microprocessor is the embodiment of logic and determinism.With care, however, it is possible to create deterministic algorithmsthat produce unpredictable, statistically random numbers.

Contemporary games consist of a framework of rules that define theoptions for how a user or random event generator may change the gamestate. Play begins with an initial state. Subsequent play consists ofuser initiated events that trigger the execution of one or more rules. Arule may proceed deterministically or non-deterministically.

Typical games consist of deterministic and non-deterministic rules. Agame progresses by the interaction of these rules. There are two sourcesfor non-determinism: player decisions and chance events. In the game ofPoker, for example, deciding to replace three instead of two cards in ahand is a player decision that is limited, but not predetermined, byrules. The rules limit the range of options the player has, but withinthat set of options the player is free to choose. An example of a chanceevent is the random set of cards received by the poker player. Shuffledcards do not produce a predictable hand.

Other examples that illustrate determinism and non-determinism in gamingare popular casino pastimes such as Blackjack, Keno, and Slot machines.The first Blackjack hand a player receives is two cards from a shuffleddeck. The number of cards dealt is two, but the cards could be any fromthe deck. Keno is essentially a lottery. In Keno, a player attempts toguess twenty balls chosen from a basket of eighty balls. The rulesdictate that to participate, a player must fill out a Keno ticketindicating the balls he believes will be chosen in the next round. Theselection of balls, however, is a purely random event. Slot machinesrequire the player to pull a handle for each round. Slot wheels stop atrandom positions.

The non-deterministic problem in most parlor games is random samplingwithout replacement: given a set of n elements, randomly choose m ofthem without replacement where m is less than or equal to n. Althoughsampling without replacement covers most popular games, it would be easyto conceive of games that required replacement. For example, consider avariant of Keno that replaces each chosen ball before selecting the nextball. Until now, no device is available that services the needs ofmultiple games by providing algorithms for sampling with and withoutreplacement as well as others such as random permutation generation,sorting, and searching.

A casino player must know the likelihood of winning a jackpot iscommensurate with the stated theoretical probabilities of the game.Moreover, the casino would like to payout as little as possible whilemaximizing the number of their game participants. Because each gamesponsored by a casino has a built-in theoretical edge for the house,over time and with repeated play, the house will make money. In otherwords, the casino does not need to cheat the customer because it has abuilt-in edge. The customer, who is at a disadvantage in the long run,will want to know the game is fair in order to manage risk. In is atheoretical fact that bold wagering in Roulette increases a players oddsof winning. A player who cannot know the odds of winning cannotformulate a strategy.

Provided that the deterministic rules of a game are implementedcorrectly, it is essential that the chance events of a game are indeedrandom. an important subproblem for generating random events is uniformrandom number generation. If the underlying uniform random numbergenerator does not generate statistically independent and uniformpseudo-random numbers, then either the house or customer will be at adisadvantage. A poorly designed system might favor the house initiallyand over time turn to favor the player. Certainly the house would notwant this situation because it makes revenue projection impossible. Anyregulatory body would like to ensure that neither the house nor customerhave an advantage beyond the stated theoretical probabilities of thegame. In the context of fairly implemented rules, the only way for thehouse to increase its revenue is to increase the number of playersparticipating in their games.

Typically, an engineer creating an electronic game generates a flowchart representing the rules and uses a random number generator inconjunction with combinatorial algorithms for generating chance events.Representing rules is one problem. Generating chance events to supportthose rules is another. Creating pseudo-random numbers is a subtleproblem that requires mathematical skills distinct from other problemsof gaming. In other words, a skilled game programmer may be unable tosolve the problems of developing a proper random number generator. Evenif given a quality random number generator, problems can occur inhardware implementations that render the generator predictable. Oneexample is using the same seed, or initial state, for the generator atregular intervals and repeatedly generating a limited batch of numbers.Without attending to the theoretical aspects of a uniform random numbergenerator, it is not possible to implement the rules of a gameperfectly. The result is a game unfair to the house, players, or both.Hence, there is a need for a gaming system, apparatus, and method thatseparate the problem of implementing game rules from that of randomevent generation.

The need for such a device is also evident at the regulatory level.Gaming is a heavily regulated industry. States, tribes, and the federalgovernment have gaming regulatory agencies at various levels to ensurefairness of the games. The gaming regulatory authority certifies that aparticular implementations of a game reflects the underlyingprobabilities. Because electronic games are implemented in oftendifficult to understand software, the problem of verifying fairness of agame is challenging. Further, there is little uniformity in theimplementation of fundamental components of various games. To determinefairness, the gaming authority subjects each game to a battery of tests.No set of statistical tests performed on a limited portion of the randomnumber generator period can ensure that the generator will continue toperform fairly in the field. The process of testing is both expensiveand of limited accuracy. Hence, a regulatory need exists for a uniform,standardized method of implementing games that reduce the need andextent of individual game testing while increasing the reliability ofdetecting and certifying game fairness.

3. Solution to the Problem

The Universal Gaming Engine (UGE) in accordance with the presentinvention is a gaming apparatus providing a consistent game developmentplatform satisfying the needs of the gaming authority, house, player,and game developer. The UGE separates the problems of developing gamerules from the difficulty of producing chance events to support thoserules. Functions that are common to a number of games are included inthe gaming engine so that they need not be implemented separately foreach game. By including basic functions shared by a number of games,hardware costs are greatly reduced as new games can be implementedmerely by providing a new set of rules in the rules library and thebasic hardware operating the game remains unchanged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, the present invention provides a system, apparatus, andmethod for implementing a game having a deterministic component and anon-deterministic component wherein a player uses the game through atleast one player interface unit. Each player interface unit generates aplayer record indicating player-initiated events. A random numbergenerator provides a series of pseudo-random numbers that are preferablystatistically verified by integral verification algorithms and stored ina buffer. Preferably, the random number generator allows seed and keyrestoration automatically or manually upon power fault.

A rules library stores indexed rules for one or more games. An interfaceregistry stores mapping records where the mapping records are used toassociate the player-initiated events to pre-selected rules in the ruleslibrary. A control means is coupled to receive the output of the playerinterface unit, coupled to the interface registry, the rules library,and the random number generator. The control means processes the playerrecord and returns an output record to the player interface unit wherethe output record is determined by executing the game's rules withreference to the pseudo-random numbers and predefined combinatorialalgorithms for selecting sets of the pseudo-random numbers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of the gaming engine inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the pseudo-random number subsystemin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the non-uniform distribution generator andcombinatorial algorithm subsystems in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a main control circuit in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 illustrates in block diagram form implementation of the ruleslibrary in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a game implementation using theapparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram for a second embodiment pseudo-randomnumber distribution system;

FIG. 8 illustrates a multiple player networked implementation inaccordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 9 illustrates in graphical form relationships between server speed,queue size, and customer wait times of an apparatus in accordance withthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

1. Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates, in simplified schematic form, a gaming apparatus inaccordance with the present invention. The gaming apparatus inaccordance with the present invention is also referred to as a“universal gaming engine” as it serves in some embodiments as a platformfor implementing any number of games having deterministic and randomcomponents. In other embodiments, the universal gaming engine inaccordance with the present invention provides a platform that supportsmultiple players across a network where each player preferablyindependently selects which game they play and independently controlsprogression of the game.

Although in the preferred embodiment all of the games discussed areimplemented entirely electronically, it is a simple modification toalter the player interface to include mechanical switches, wheels, andthe like. Even in mechanically implemented games electronic functionsthat are performed by the gaming engine in accordance with the presentinvention are required. Hence, these mechanical machines are greatlysimplified using the gaming engine in accordance with the presentinvention.

Gaming engine 100 is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, includingmajor subsystems in the preferred embodiments. Each of the subsystemsillustrated in FIG. 1 is described in greater detail below. FIG. 1,however, is useful in understanding the overall interconnections andfunctioning of the gaming engine in accordance with the presentinvention.

Gaming engine 100 performs several basic functions common to manyelectronically implemented casino games. The most basic of thesefunctions includes interacting with the player to detect playerinitiated events, and to communicate the state of a game to the player.Gaming engine 100 must process the player initiated event by determiningthe appropriate rules of the game that must be executed and thenexecuting the appropriate rules. Execution of the rules may require onlysimple calculation or retrieving information from memory in the case ofdeterministic rules, or may require access to pseudo-random values orsubsets of pseudo-random values in the case of non-deterministiccomponents.

Gaming engine 100 in accordance with the present invention uses a maincontrol circuit 101 to control and perform basic functions. Main controlcircuit 101 is a hardware or software programmable microprocessor ormicrocontroller. Alternatively, main control circuit 101 can beimplemented as an ASIC device with dedicated logic to perform therequired control functions. Main control circuit 101 communicates withplayer interface unit 102 via interface bus 103. Player interface unit102 is a machine having at least some form of display for communicatinginformation to the player and some form of switch (i.e., buttons,levers, keyboard, coin slot, or the like) for communicating informationfrom the player.

Player interface unit 102 generates a player record of information andtransmits the player record over bus 103 to main control circuit 101.The player record of information contains information about the playerinitiated event as well as any data that may be associated with theparticular event. For example, a player initiated event may be drawingtwo cards from a deck of cards. The player record will includeinformation about the event (i.e., drawing cards), and data (i.e., twocards). The player record may include other information such as thestate of the game that is being played. By “state of the game” it ismeant at which stage in the rule defined progression of the game thegame currently exists. State information may be maintained by gamingengine 100 or player interface unit 102, or both.

Main control circuit 101 responds to a player initiated event byreferencing a public interface registry 107. Public interface registry107 is essentially a lookup table implemented in volatile,semi-volatile, or non-volatile memory. Public interface registry 107 isdesirably organized as an addressable memory where each address isassociated with a mapping record. Main control circuit 101 uses theplayer event portion of the player record to address public interfaceregistry 107 in a preferred embodiment. Public interface registry 107then provide a selected mapping record to main control circuit 101. Maincontrol circuit 101 uses the selected mapping record to address ruleslibrary 108.

Rules library 108 is essentially an addressable memory preferablyallowing random access. Rules library 108 can be implemented involatile, semi-volatile, or non-volatile memory of any convenientorganizational structure. Rules library 108 responds to the address frommain control circuit 101 by supplying one or more rules, whichcorrespond to game rules, to main control circuit 101. The rulesprovided by rules library 101 are preferably executable instructions formain control circuit 101.

Main control circuit 101 processes the selected rules by selectivelyaccessing random number circuit 104 and transform function algorithms106. As set out herein before, completely deterministic rules may beexecuted entirely within main control circuit 101 by simple calculationsor data transfer operations. Where the selected rule requires maincontrol circuit 101 to access one or more pseudo-random numbers, randomnumber circuit 104 is accessed. In the preferred embodiment randomnumber circuit 104 provides a series of pseudo-random numbers ofarbitrary length having uniform distribution as described in greaterdetail hereinafter.

Often times, however, a rule will require a non-uniform distribution ofpseudo-random numbers, or some subset of a series of pseudo-randomnumbers. In this case, main control circuit 101 implements the selectedrule by accessing transform function algorithms from block 106 in FIG.1. The transform function algorithms transform the series of uniformlydistributed pseudo-random numbers from random number circuit 104 by 1)transforming them into a non-uniform distribution, 2) using a given setof the uniformly distributed pseudo-random numbers to performing setselection permutations or 3) both.

In this manner, the basic functions of pseudo-random number generation,pseudo-random number transformation, and association of rules withplayer or player events are standardized and entirely contained ingaming engine 100. System operator interface 109 is used by the casinoor game developer to communicate with uniform random number circuit 104and main control circuit 101. This communication is desirable toinitialize, program, and maintain main control circuit 101 and publicinterface registry 107, for example. System operator interface alsoenables an operator to initialize, monitor and change seed values andkey values used by uniform random number circuit 104. Any convenienthardware may be used to implement system operator interface 109including DIP switches, a smart terminal, personal computer, or adedicated interface circuit.

To implement a game, a game programmer develops a series of rules forthe game. The series of rules are stored as a volume in rules library108. The game programmer will then register the new game in publicinterface registry 107 by storing the location of the volume of rules inan appropriate address in public interface registry 107. The gameprogrammer does not need to program or develop the random number circuitor transform algorithms to implement a new game. Further, the playerusing player interface unit 102 can access any of the games stored inrules library 108. To certify a new game, a game regulatory authorityneed only review the rules in the rules library 108 to verify that theyfollow the established rules for a particular game. This verificationcan be easily done by reviewing high-level language code such asFORTRAN, C, or Basic.

While the present invention is described in terms of the preferredimplementation of casino games it should be understood that any gamewhich has a random component and progresses by following predefinedrules can be implemented in gaming engine 100. Player interface unit 102may be entirely electronic or combine electronic and mechanicalcomponents. Player interface unit may supply any amount and kind ofinformation in addition to the basic functions set forth above to maincontrol circuit 101. Player interface unit 102 may be located in thesame physical machine as the remaining portions of gaming engine 100 ormay be located at a great distance from gaming engine 100. These andother alternatives will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

2. Random Number Circuit

A preferred random number circuit 104 is shown in FIG. 2. Random numbercircuit 104 preferably includes random number generator circuit 201,verification algorithms 202, and buffer 203. Random number circuit 104is controlled by random number control circuit 204 which is amicroprocessor, microcontroller, or dedicated logic control circuit.

Random number generator circuit 201 provides a stream of uniformlydistributed pseudo-random numbers on output 206. Alternatively, randomnumber generator circuit 201 can provide parallel outputs on output 206.Also, more than one random number generator circuit 201 may be employeddepending on the quantity of pseudo-random numbers demanded by thesystem.

Random number generator circuit 201 preferably supplies uniformlydistributed pseudo-random numbers because a set of uniformly distributednumbers can be transformed easily by transform algorithms 106 intonon-uniform distributions and combinatorial subsets. As preferredcircuit for implementing random number generator circuit 201 is an ANSIX9.17 pseudo random number generator based upon a plurality of dataencryption standard (DES) encryption circuits. Alternatively, randomnumber generator circuit 201 may be implemented using the internationaldata encryption algorithm (IDEA) encryption. Other random numbergenerator circuits are known. When implementing other random numbergenerator circuits 201, however, it should be appreciated that ahigh-quality, cryptographically strong pseudo-random number generator ispreferable. A major advantage of the present invention is that therandom number circuit 104 need be implemented only once to serve aplurality of games making it cost efficient to use relatively expensivecircuitry to provide a high quality random numbered circuit 104.

Random number generator circuit 201 accepts as input one or more keyvalues which are typically binary values having a fixed relatively largenumber of bits. For example, the ANSI X9.17 pseudo-random numbergenerator uses 56-bit keys. Random generator circuit 201 also usuallyaccepts a seed value, which is also another large bit binary value.Further, random number generator circuit 201 has a data input or clockinput that accepts a continuously variable signal which is convenientlya clock representing date and time. In this manner, each time the signalon the clock or data input changes a new random number is output on line206. Random number control circuit stores and provides the key values,seed value, and clock values to random number generator circuit 201.

A desirable feature in accordance with the present invention is thatrandom number circuit 104 be able to boot up after a power fault (i.e.,power is removed from the system) using the same seed values, keyvalues, and clock value that existed before the power fault. Thisfeature prevents a player or operator from continually resetting thesystem or gaining any advantage by removing power from gaming engine100. One way of providing this functionality is to buffer the keyvalues, seed values, and clock values in memory within random numbercontrol circuit 204 before they are provided to random number generator201. After a power on default, circuit 104 can reboot autonomously usingthe values stored in buffers. Alternatively, new values can be providedvia system operator interface 109 to ensure that the output after apower fault is in no way predictable based upon knowledge of outputafter a prior power fault.

In a preferred embodiment, random number generator circuit operatescontinuously to provide the series of random numbers on line 206 at thehighest speed possible. By continuously, it is meant that random numbergenerator circuit 201 operates at a rate that is not determined by thedemand for random numbers by the rest of the system. Random numbercontrol circuit 204 provides key values, seed values, and data values torandom number generator circuit 201 independently of any processingdemands on main control circuit 101 (shown in FIG. 1). This arrangementensures that random number circuit 104 operates at a high degree ofefficiency and is not slowed down by computational demands placed onmain control circuit 101. In other words, the control circuit resourcesthat implement random number control circuit 204 are independent of andusually implemented in a separate circuit from main control circuit 101.

Random number control circuit 204 accesses one or more verificationalgorithms 202 via connection 207. Verification algorithms 202 serve toverify that the raw random numbers on line 206 are statistically randomto a predetermined level of certainty. Preferably, verificationalgorithms 202 include algorithms for testing independence,one-dimensional uniformity, and multi-dimensional uniformity. Algorithmsfor accomplishing these tests are well known. For example, independenceof the pseudo random numbers can be performed by a Runs test. Uniformitycan be verified by the Kolmorgorov-Smirnov or K-S test. Alternatively, aChi-square test verify uniformity. A serial test is an extension of theChi-square test that can check multi-dimensional uniformity.

Random number control circuit 204 preferably receives and stores a setof raw random numbers from random number generator circuit 201. The setof raw random numbers can be of any size, for example 1000 numbers.Random number control circuit 204 then implements the verificationalgorithms either serially or in parallel to test independence anduniformity as described hereinbefore. It may be advantageous to use morethan one physical circuit to implement random number control circuit 204so that the verification algorithms may be executed in parallel on agiven set of raw random numbers.

If a set of raw random numbers do not pass one of the verification teststhe numbers are discarded or overwritten in memory so that they cannotbe used by gaming engine 100. Only after a batch of numbers passes thebattery of verification tests, are they passes via line 208 to verifyrandom number buffer 203. Buffer 203 is preferably implemented as afirst-in, first-out (FIFO) shift register of arbitrary size. Forexample, buffer 203 may hold several thousand or several million randomnumbers.

By integrating verification algorithms 202 in a random number circuit104, gaming engine 100 in accordance with the present invention ensuresthat all of the pseudo-random numbers in buffer 203 are in factstatistically random. This overcomes a common problem in pseudo-randomnumber circuits wherein the random numbers are long-term random, butexperience short-term runs or trends. These short-term trends makeprediction of both the player and casino odds difficult and may createan illusion of unfairness when none in fact exists. The verificationalgorithms 202 in accordance with the present invention largelyeliminate these short-term trending problems and create a pool of randomnumbers in buffer 203 that are both statistically random and will appearto be random in the short run time period in which both the casino andplayers operate.

Buffer 203 makes the random numbers available continuously to maincontrol circuit 101. Main control circuit 101 may access any quantity ofthe numbers in buffer 203 at a time. Buffer 203 also serves to provide alarge quantity of random numbers at a rate higher than the peakgeneration rate of random number generator circuit 201. Although it ispreferable that random number generator circuit 201 and verificationalgorithms 202 are processed so as to provide random numbers to buffer203 at a higher rate than required by gaming engine 100, short-termbursts of random numbers can be provided by buffer 203 at a higher rate.

3. Transform Function Algorithms

Transform function algorithms 106 are accessed by main control circuit101 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Examples of transform function algorithms106 are a non-uniform distribution generator 301 and combinatorialalgorithms 302. To execute some rules obtained from rules library 108,main control circuit 101 may be required to select one or more randomvalues from a non-uniform distribution. Examples of non-uniformdistributions are normal distribution, exponential distribution, gammadistribution, as well as geometric and hypergeometric distributions. Allof these non-uniform distributions can be generated from the uniformdistribution provided by random number circuit 104.

Rule implementations primarily require that main control circuit 101access a series of pseudo-random numbers in the context of random setselection and permutations. This subset selection is performed bycombinatorial algorithms 302. The combinatorial algorithms 302 operateon either the uniform number distribution provided directly by randomnumber circuit 104 or the non-uniform distribution provided bynon-uniform distribution generator 301. In this manner, a game of kenocan be implemented by selecting a random 20 from a group of 80.

Another function of the transform algorithms 106 is to scale and centerthe series of random numbers. For example, a deck of cards includes 52cards so that the set of random numbers must be scaled to range from 1to 52. These and similar transform functions are well known.

An advantageous feature of the present invention is that these transformfunctions can be implemented a single time in a single piece of softwareor hardware and selectively accessed by any of the games in ruleslibrary 108. This allows a great variety of transform functions to beprovided in a cost efficient and computationally efficient manner. Thegame designer need only provide rules in rules library 108 that accessappropriate transform function algorithms 106 and need not be concernedwith the details of how the transform function algorithms 106 areimplemented. Similarly, a gaming regulatory authority can verify thecorrectness and fairness of transform algorithms a single time byproviding extensive testing. Once the transform functions are verified,they need not be verified again for each game that is implemented inrules library 108. This independence between the rules programming andthe non-deterministic programming result in highly standardized andreliable games while allowing the games designer greater flexibility todesign a game in the rules library 108.

4. Main Control Circuit

A preferred embodiment of main control circuit 101 is shown in blockdiagram form in FIG. 4. Preferably, a micro-controller microprocessor401 is provided to perform calculations, memory transactions, and dataprocessing. Microprocessor 401 is coupled through bus 103 to playerinterface unit 102. Microprocessor 401 is also coupled to player numbercircuit 104, transform function algorithms 106, public interfaceregistry 107, and rules library 108 through bi-directional communicationlines 402.

In a typical configuration, main control circuit 101 will have aquantity of RAM/SRAM 403, a quantity of non-volatile memory 404, and ROMfor storing an operating system and boot sequence. ROM 406 operates in aconventional manner and will not be described in greater detailhereinafter. Non-volatile memory 404 is an addressable, preferablyrandom access memory used to store information that is desirably savedeven if power is removed from main control circuit 101. For example,microprocessor 401 may calculate statistics regarding the type of gamesplayed, the rate of game play, the rate of number request, orinformation about the player from player interface unit 102. Thestatistics are preferably stored in a non-volatile memory 404 tomaintain integrity of the information. Similarly, non-volatile memory404 may be used to maintain the state of a game in progress on playerinterface unit 102 so that is power is removed, universal gaming engine100 can restore player interface unit 102 to the state at which itexisted prior to the power outage. This may be important in a casinooperation where the casino could incur liability for stopping a gamewhen the player believes a payoff is imminent.

RAM 403 serves as operating memory for temporary storage of rules accessfrom rules library 108 or for storing the operating system for quickaccess. RAM 403 may also store groups of random numbers while they arebeing processed by the transform function algorithms as well as addressdata provided to and accepted from the public interface registry.

It should be understood that main control circuit 101 may be implementedin a variety of fashions using conventional circuitry. While some memorywill almost surely be required, the memory may be implemented as RAM,SRAM, EPROM or EEPROM to meet the needs of a particular application.Similarly, the components of main control circuit 101 shown in FIG. 4may be implemented as a single circuit or single integrated circuit orin multiple circuits or integrated circuits. Additional features may beadded to implement additional functions in a conventional manner.

5. Rules Library

An exemplary embodiment of rules library 108 is illustrated in blockdiagram form in FIG. 5. Rules library 108 is preferably implemented as aplurality of volumes of rules where each volume is fixed in a rule EPROM502-506. Any number of rule EPROM's can be supplied in rule library 108.Also, rule EPROM's 502 can be of various sizes. Rule EPROM's 502-506 maybe replaced with equivalent memory circuits such as RAM, S RAM, or ROM.It is desirable from a gaming regulatory authority standpoint that ruleEPROM's 502-506 cannot be altered once programmed so that the rulescannot be changed from the designed rules. This allows the gamingregulatory authority to verify the EPROM rules.

Address logic 501 provides address signals to select one of rule EPROM's502-506. Additionally, address logic 501 serves to position a pointer toa specific rule within each rule EPROM 502-506. As set out hereinbefore, which of rule EPROM's 502-506 is selected as determined by thecurrent game being played as indicated by player interface unit 102(shown in FIG. 1). The location of the pointer within a rule EPROM isaddressed based upon the current state of the game and the particularuser initiated event indicated by player interface unit 102. Theinformation is conveyed from the user interface unit 102 in a playerrecord that is mapped to rule library 108 by the information in publicinterface registry 107.

In practice, a game developer will program a series of rules thatdictate the progression of a game in response to user or playerinitiated events. The rules will also dictate when random numbers areaccessed and the type of random numbers which should be accessed (i.e.,uniform or non-uniform distributions). Rules will also control payoffs,and place boundaries on the types of player events which will beaccepted. The game developer will then burn these rules, once complete,into a rule EPROM, such as rule EPROM's 502-506. The rule EPROM can thenbe verified by a gaming regulatory authority, and once approved, bedistributed to owners of gaming engines wishing to implement the newlydeveloped game. In order to install the new game, the rule EPROM isinstalled in rules library 108 and registered in public interfaceregistry 107. The registration process described hereinbefore providesgaming engine 100 the address information necessary to enable addresslogic 501 to access a particular rule in rules library 108 and providethat rule on output line 507 to main control circuit 101.

Although rules library 108 has been described in terms of a plurality ofEPROM's 502-506 wherein each EPROM holds one volume of rules pertainingto a particular game, it should be apparent that many otherconfigurations for rules library 108 are possible. Rules can beimplemented in a single large memory or in a serial memory such as atape or disk. Address logic 500 may be integrated in rules library 108,or may be integrated with main control circuit 101. Each game may beimplemented in a single EPROM or may require several EPROM's dependingon the particular needs of an application.

6. Method of Operation

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 together illustrate in flow chart form a preferredmethod of operation of gaming engine 100 in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 details operation of a first embodiment single player gamingengine 100. When gaming engine 100 is started as indicated at 601 inFIG. 6, main control circuit 101 is initialized and goes through aboot-up sequence to bring it to an initial state. In this initial stateit waits for user input at step 604. The player input or player recordpreferably indicates the game that is being played, the state of thatgame, and user initiated events and data that must be processed. Uponreceipt of the player record, the public registry is addressed in step606. The public registry returns a mapping record that matches the userrecord with a particular rule in the rules library in step 608.

One or more rules are accessed in step 608. Each of the one or morerules are processed in serial fashion in the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 6. One rule is processed in each pass through steps 610-622. Alogical component of a first rule is processed in step 610, where thelogical component includes processes of memory manipulations,calculations, and the like. In step 612, it is determined if theparticular rule that was executed in step 610 requires pseudo-randomnumbers to process. If pseudo-random numbers are required, they areretrieved in step 700 which is illustrated in greater detail inreference to FIG. 7.

It is determined if the rule requires any transform algorithm in step614. If a transform algorithm is required it is obtained in step 616. Itshould be understood that the transform algorithm may be permanentlyresident in the main control circuit 101 and so the step of obtaining616 may be trivial. Once the necessary transfer algorithm is obtained,it is determined if the rule is completely processed in step 618. Ifnot, flow returns to step 610 and the rule logic is executed until therule is completely processed and a final result of the rule isdetermined. Once the rule is finished, control moves from step 618 toresult accumulation step 620.

Each rule accessed in step 608 is processed in a similar manner bysequentially selecting each rule in step 626 until it is determined thatall rules have been processed in step 622. Once all the rules areprocessed, the accumulated results are returned to the player in step624. The results are of the rule are determined in steps 610, 612, and614 by performing any transforms required on the random numbers,executing any deterministic components using conventional calculationsand memory transactions.

7. Method for Random Number Generation

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart showing steps in filling random numberrequest step 700 in FIG. 6. The process shown in FIG. 7 is initiatedwhen request 614 is made. More accurately, many of the sub-processesshown in FIG. 7 are ongoing, but the processes for generating andsupplying random numbers are also responsive to the request for randomnumbers 700.

Continuously ongoing processes include clock generation step 706,providing key value(s) step 710, and providing seed value(s) step 712.The clock signal generated in step 706 need not be a real time clock,nor does it have to provide a linearly increasing or decreasing output.It is sufficient that clock 706 output a continuously variable signal ata regular interval. As set out herein before, clock generation ispreferably performed by random number control circuit 204 shown in FIG.2.

In a preferred embodiment, a signal is generated by the occurrence ofthe player event. For example, the time of the player event isdetermined at step 704 and may be used as shown in FIG. 7. At step 708,the clock signal and the player event signal are combined to provide acontinuously variable nonrandom signal. Where both the player eventsignal and the clock are digital, the combination can be realized aslogical function such as AND, OR, XOR, NAND or the like. Also, thecombination may be a concatenation or subtraction function. This featureof the present invention is optional, but adds a new degree ofrandomness.

At step 714, a series of raw random numbers is generated using thecontinuously provided key values, seed values, and variable signal. Theraw random numbers are stored at step 716 to build a group large enoughto be verified during step 718. Groups of raw random numbers that failverification step 718 are discarded, while those that pass are stored atstep 720 in buffer 203 shown in FIG. 2.

In accordance with a first embodiment, the verified random numbers aredelivered in step 722, returning process flow to step 618 shown in FIG.6. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 7, request 614 is queuedat step 728 using RAM 403 shown in FIG. 4. Request queuing 728 isimplemented as a first in first out or “push up” register having N queuecapacity. In one embodiment, N is between 2 and 10. Queuing step 728stores each request and processes each request in turn. In thisembodiment, delivery step 722 serves whatever request is provided duringstep 728. Once a request is delivered, the request queue is updated instep 724.

Although the request queue is optional, it increases efficiency ofrandom number generation step 700. This is especially important in thenetworked multi-user embodiment shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 illustratesgenerally a relationship between server speed, queue size, and theaverage number of customers, or requests for pseudo-random numbers, arewaiting in the system. FIG. 9 is derive by modeling gaming engine 800(shown in FIG. 8) as an M/M/1 queue to produce parameters for expectedwait times in the system. FIG. 9 assumes that requests for pseudo-randomnumbers are made according to a Poisson process. This means that thetimes between successive arrivals are independent exponential randomvariables.

Upon arrival, a customer either immediately goes into service if theserver is free, or joins queue 728 if the server is busy. When step 722finishes obtaining the requested subset, the request is returned to thegame and leaves the system. The next request, if any, is serviced. Thetimes required to form the requested random subsets are assumed to beindependent exponential random variables also. With these assumptions,request queue 728 can be viewed as an M/M/1 queue. The first two M'sindicate that both the interarrival times as well as the service timesfor requests are exponential random variables. The “1” indicates thereis just one server.

Server speed is largely determined by the hardware chosen to implementthe present invention, and can be easily varied by those of skill in theart to meet the needs of a particular application. As is apparent inFIG. 9, higher server speeds result in fewer waiting customers. From thelower portion of FIG. 9, is apparent that if the queue size is reducedto zero (i.e., no request queue), the average wait time climbs even withvery fast servers. Hence, to minimize wait time, a request queue isdesirable.

It should be understood that the process steps shown in FIG. 7 may becarried out in any convenient order unless expressly specified above.Process steps may be carried out in serial or parallel depending on theparticular capabilities of main control circuit 101 shown in FIG. 1. Forexample, where control circuit 101 is multi-tasking or capable ofparallel processing, several process steps may be executed at once.Also, process steps may be added to those shown in FIG. 7 to implementadditional functions without departing from the inventive features ofthe present invention.

8. Network Embodiment

FIG. 8 illustrates in block diagram for a network embodiment inaccordance with the present invention. Basic components of gaming engine800 are similar to gaming engine 100 including random number circuit804, transform algorithms 806, public interface registry 807, and ruleslibrary 808. Main control circuit 801 includes all of the functionsdescribed herein before in reference to main control circuit 101 butalso includes function for supporting network interface circuit 812.Data bus 812 couples main control circuit 801 to network interfacecircuit 812.

The network embodiment shown in FIG. 8 serves a plurality of playerinterface units 802 a-801 e. This additional functionality is providedin part by network interface circuit 812 and network I/O circuits 812a-812 e. Network interface circuit 812 and network I/O circuits 812a-812 e can be conventional network circuits used for 10baseT, ethernet,Appletalk, or other known computer network systems. In selecting thenetwork circuits, it is important that the data throughput is adequateto meet the needs of a particular system.

Network interface circuit 812 communicates a plurality of player recordsof information to main control circuit 801. Main control circuit may bea conventional processing circuit that serially processes each of theplayer records in a manner similar to main control circuit 101.Preferably, main control circuit 801 includes multitasking or parallelprocessing capabilities allowing it to process the plurality of playerrecords simultaneously.

Simultaneous processing requires that main control circuit 801 access aplurality of rules from rules library 808, each of which may requiremain control unit 801 to request a set of pseudo-random numbers fromrandom number circuit 804. In a preferred embodiment, the multiplerequests for pseudo-random numbers are stored in a request queueimplemented in memory of main control circuit 801.

The request queue is preferably able to store more than one request. Asuitable request queue can store ten requests. Random number circuit 804treats each request from the request queue of main control circuit 801in a manner similar to the requests from main control circuit 101described herein before. The combination of the request queue with thebuffer of random number circuit 804 allows gaming engine 800 to servicerequests corresponding to player initiated events very efficiently. Arequest queue holding even two or three requests can reduce theprobability of any player waiting for delivery of a set of pseudo-randomnumbers significantly.

The request queue can be implemented by configuring a portion of the RAMavailable to main control circuit 801 as a first-in first-out registeror push up stack. Each request for a set of random numbers is initiallyplaced at the bottom of the request queue and sequentially raised in therequest queue until the request is filled. This operation is describedherein before with respect to FIG. 7.

By now it should be appreciated that an apparatus, method, and systemfor gaming is provided with greatly improved efficiency and quality overexisting gaming methods and systems. The universal gaming engine inaccordance with the present invention is a gaming apparatus providing aconsistent game development platform satisfying the needs of gamingauthorities, house, player, and game developer. The gaming engine inaccordance with the present invention separates the problems ofdeveloping game rules from the difficulty of producing chance events tosupport those rules. By including basic functions shared by a number ofgames, hardware costs are greatly reduced as new games can beimplemented merely by providing a new set of rules in the rules libraryand the basic hardware operating the game remains unchanged. It is to beexpressly understood that the claimed invention is not to be limited tothe description of the preferred embodiments but encompasses othermodifications and alterations within the scope and spirit of theinventive concept.

I claim:
 1. A self-contained system for implementing games of diversemultiple types, each for a plurality of players, each of the gameshaving a deterministic component, a rule-based component for interactingwith player actions, and a random component; said system comprising: aplurality of player interface units, each of said plurality of playerinterface units generating at least one player record of informationindicating player-initiated events; a gaming engine for implementinggame rules in response to the at least one player record of information,said gaming engine generating random numbers required by the game rules;a player network interface circuit coupled to communicate with eachplayer interface unit; a server network interface circuit coupled tocommunicate with the gaming engine; and a network coupled to the playernetwork interface circuit and the server network interface circuit. 2.The system of claim 1, further comprising: a clock input for the randomnumber of generation circuit.
 3. The system of claim 1, the gamingengine further comprising: means responsive to the at least one playerrecord for generating requests for sets of pseudo-random numbers; arequest queue storing a number of the requests for sets of pseudo-randomnumbers.
 4. The system of claim 1 further comprising multitasking meanswithin the gaming engine for independently and simultaneously processingeach of the player records, generating output records for each of theplayer records, and directing the output records to the player interfaceunits.
 5. The system of claim 1 further comprising: first encryptionmeans coupled to the server network interface circuit for encryptinginformation passed from the gaming engine to the network; and secondencryption means coupled to each of the player network interfacecircuits for encrypting information passed from the player interfaceunit to the network.
 6. The system of claim 5, further comprising: aclock input for the random number generation circuit.
 7. A method forplaying a plurality of different games at a plurality of playerinterface units, each of the plurality of player interface units incommunication with a gaming engine, said method comprising the steps of:receiving in the gaming engine a player record of information from oneof the plurality of player interface units when a player playing aselected one of the plurality of different games initiates a game event,determining, in the gaming engine, game rules for the selected one gamecorresponding to the received player record of information, generatingrandom numbers in the gaming engine, obtaining random numbers from thegenerated random numbers when required by the determined game rules,delivering to the one player interface unit game play results from thegaming engine in response to the determined game rules and obtainedrandom numbers, implementing the game play results in the one playerinterface unit so as to respond to the player initiated game event forthe selected one game.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step ofdelivering the player record of information further includes the step ofencrypting the player record of information from the one playerinterface unit to the gaming engine.
 9. The method of claim 7 whereinthe step of delivering the game play results further includes the stepof encrypting the game play results from the gaming engine to the oneplayer interface unit.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the gamingengine performs the steps of receiving, determining, obtaining, anddelivering as multitasking steps so that selected one games at allplayer interface units played are played simultaneously.
 11. The methodof claim 7 wherein the step of determining games rules for the selectedone game further comprises the steps of: storing rules for each one ofthe plurality of different games in a rules library, retrieving the gamerules for the selected one game corresponding to the delivered playerrecord of information of the initiated game event.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 wherein the step of retrieving comprises the steps of: storinga plurality of mapping records in a registry memory, addressing theregistry memory based upon the received player record information toselect a mapping record corresponding to the player record ofinformation of the initiated game event, obtaining the game rulescorresponding to the player record of information of the initiated gameevent when the rules library is addressed by the selected mappingrecord.
 13. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of generating randomnumbers further comprises the step of: providing a series ofpseudo-random numbers independent of the rules for the plurality ofdifferent games and the receipt of player records of information. 14.The method of claim 7 wherein the step of generating random numbersfurther comprises the step of: providing a series of pseudo-randomnumbers at a rate independent of the rate that the gaming enginereceives player records of information.
 15. The method of claim 7wherein the step of obtaining random numbers further comprises the stepsof: generating a series of raw random numbers, verifying that thegenerated series of raw random numbers is statistically random at apredetermined level of certainty, eliminating any raw random numbersthat fail the verifying step for statistical randomness at thepredetermined level of certainty, storing the raw random numbers thatpass the verifying step for statistical randomness at the predeterminedlevel of certainty.
 16. The method of claim 7 further comprising thestep of rebooting the step of generating the random numbers with thesame seed values, key values, and clock value that existed before apower failure in response to the power failure.
 17. The method of claim7 further comprising the steps of: providing a series of uniformlydistributed pseudo-random numbers, transforming a set from the series ofthe uniformly distributed pseudo-random number into at least onenon-uniform distribution for implementation according to the determinedgame rules by the gaming engine.
 18. The method of claim 7 furthercomprising the steps of: providing a series of uniformly distributedpseudo-random numbers, transforming a set from the series of theuniformly distributed pseudo-random number into at least onecombinational subset for implementation according to the determined gamerules by the gaming engine.
 19. The method of claim 7 wherein the playerrecord of information at least includes the game played, the state ofthe game played, and the player initiated event.
 20. A method forplaying a plurality of different games at a plurality of playerinterface units, each of the plurality of player interface unitsconnected over a network to a gaming engine, said method comprising thesteps of: receiving, over the network and in the gaming engine, a playerrecord of information from one of the plurality of player interfaceunits when a player playing a selected one of the plurality of differentgames initiates a game event, storing rules for each one of theplurality of different games in a rules library, retrieving the gamerules for the selected one game corresponding to the delivered playerrecord of information of the initiated game event, providing a series ofuniformly distributed pseudo-random numbers, transforming a set from theseries of the uniformly distributed pseudo-random number into at leastone non-uniform distribution when required in the determined game rulesby the gaming engine, transforming a set from the series of theuniformly distributed pseudo-random number into at least onecombinational subset when required in the determined game rules by thegaming engine, obtaining random numbers from the provided uniformlydistributed pseudo-random numbers, delivering, over the network and tothe one player interface unit, game play results from the gaming enginein response to the retrieved game rules, obtained random numbers, atleast one combinational subset, and at least one non-uniformdistribution, implementing the game play results in the one playerinterface unit so as to respond to the player initiated game event forthe selected one game.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step ofretrieving comprises the steps of: storing a plurality of mappingrecords in a registry memory, addressing the registry memory based uponthe received player record information to select a mapping recordcorresponding to the player record of information of the initiated gameevent, obtaining the game rules corresponding to the player record ofinformation of the initiated game event when the rules library isaddressed by the selected mapping record.
 22. The method of claim 20wherein the player record of information at least includes the gameplayed, the state of the game played, and the player initiated event.